As Bangladesh prepares to play Afghanistan in the three-match ODI series, which will begin in Sharjah on November 6, captain Najmul Hossain urged that the off-field problems be resolved amicably, at least going forward.
Due to visa issues, betpro id had claimed that left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and uncapped pace bowler Nahid Rana might attend the first practice session. However, neither player has yet arrived in the United Arab Emirates and is virtually guaranteed to miss the first ODI, despite Najmul’s continued optimism.
“I continue to trust that Nasum and Rana will arrive, and the cricket board is handling the matter. I’m hoping because there’s still time before the game starts,” Najmul told reporters in Sharjah on Tuesday. Even though we don’t have a left-arm spinner, Rishad is available, and based on his bowling style in the T20 format.
I believe he will be a great addition to our team. They have more right-handed batsmen. It would have benefited the squad if everything had gone according to plan. However, as I mentioned, we do not influence it.
Instead of concentrating on these, it is more crucial for us as players to ensure our skills and resources function. It would benefit our team if the external problems in the upcoming series went smoothly,” he continued.
Even though left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi has been a pain in their side lately, taking 15 wickets in his eight games thus far at an economy rate of 4.84, Najmul stated that they are not concerned about playing him. Additionally, he averages 19.33 versus them, which is his highest performance against a team he has faced at least three times.
“Obviously, yes. Although Farooqi is an excellent bowler, I believe we have faced this team quite a bit. Thus, we have that notion, and the onus of handling the new ball will fall on those batting in the top order,” Najmul stated.
Everyone was well-prepared. We cannot consider the senior players who are not present, even though some of them are. We can only consider what we now have, and I think we have guys capable of performing here. Therefore, I think all 15 guys may participate here.The top-order start is crucial in any format.
However, I don’t want to put too much strain on the top order. I want them to have fun and play to the best of their abilities for the team. Afghanistan is undoubtedly skilled in these circumstances, but we have performed well in the past, and if we can play to our advantages, we can defeat them with great success,” he stated.
“We have three games in the West Indies and three here. Since all six games are crucial and we will play to win them all, I won’t refer to it as preparation. It will be simpler for us to win the Champions Trophy if we can get confidence from this. We would acquire those ideas from here, regardless of the combination we wanted to play in,” he said.
Afghanistan’s captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, has stated that despite their recent success, his team will not take Bangladesh for granted. Additionally, Shahidi maintained that if the opportunity presents itself, it will be given to newcomers. Afghanistan’s squad featured Sediqullah Atal and Billal Sami because of their recent Emerging Asia Cup performances.
For example, Billal Sami and Sediqullah Atal were selected for the first time in ODIs. Match by match, we’ll see, and we’ll give these individuals an opportunity if we need them.
We do that and give the team our all; we have been here for the past ten days and are well-prepared for this series. We played a lot of cricket here, had terrific practices, and know the conditions in Sharjah. Hopefully, we will have a successful series.
